Genetic diversity of Iranian accessions of Satureja hortensis L. based on horticultural traits and RAPD markers

In this study, genetic diversity of 28 accessions of Satureja hortensis L., collected from different parts of Iran, were evaluated using horticultural and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data. Statistical analysis showed significant differences for all horticultural characters among accessions, suggesting that selection for relevant characters could be possible. Molecular analysis of diversity was carried out using RAPD technique with 18 random primers of a 10-mer oligonucleotides. Out of 18 primers, 12 were polymorphic, producing 218 DNA bands, 181 of which were polymorphic among accessions. A dendrogram was prepared on the basis of a similarity matrix using the UPGMA algorithm and separated the 28 accessions into three groups. Results show that both environmental and genetic factors are effective in observed variations. Our results also indicate that RAPD approach along with horticultural analysis seemed to be best-suited for fingerprinting and assessing genetic relationships among S. hortensis accessions with high accuracy.